Letters to the Editor

Posted
Wednesday, June 12, 2013 2:43 pm

Vote Oppenheimer

To the Editor:

On Tuesday, residents of Rockville Centre will have a chance to make their voices heard by electing two village trustees and a village justice. This decision should not be taken lightly, and I advise all voters to take a close look at the past four years before coming to an informed decision.

In my eyes, the right choice for village trustee is clear. In fact, it is clearer than it’s been in quite some time. Trustee Ed Oppenheimer has earned our vote for re-election to a second term on the village board.

Ed has consistently demonstrated that he is a voice for all of Rockville Centre. At the end of the day, he is not afraid to ask the tough questions that need to be asked. His independence, knowledge and meaningful service to the village, not only over the past four years but also over the past 30-plus, has helped make Rockville Centre the outstanding community it is today.

I know Ed to be a kind, passionate and dedicated public servant. Whether it’s through his work as a village trustee, volunteer firefighter or critical-care EMT, Ed has proven that he wants the absolute best for this village and all its residents. Ed’s proven leadership and experience has made him an asset to our community. Please join me in re-electing Trustee Ed Oppenheimer to the village board on Tuesday.

Cathy Geyer

Rockville Centre

Vote for Glynn and Grillo

To the Editor:

I cannot believe it has been six years since I left office as your mayor. My commitment to our village remains steadfast as I watch my son, Fran, put forth initiatives that keep Rockville Centre a wonderful place to live and raise a family.

However, as we all know, no one can do this alone. He needs dedicated, active, independent residents with foresight to continue moving our community in the right direction.

I have watched Kevin Glynn over the last four years. He has been an active participant in all things positive for Rockville Centre. I believe Kevin has remained true to his fiscally conservative viewpoints while working hard to achieve consensus decisions with his peers on the board.

Emilio Grillo is a highly qualified, active resident who will bring a new perspective to the existing board.

I know that, together, they will represent our residents well and assist Fran and the other board members in being fiscally responsible while facing the challenges ahead.

Please join me on Tuesday by voting for Glynn and Grillo. Vote Row B for the best team.

Eugene J. Murray

Rockville Centre

Murray is a former mayor of Rockville Centre.

Wieman is best choice

To the Editor:

I am writing to endorse Marc Wieman for Rockville Centre village trustee in the election being held on Tuesday.

As a close personal friend of Marc’s for almost 15 years, I have found him to be among the most honest, kind, thoughtful and generous individuals I have ever known. I am confident that, as village trustee, Marc will treat the residents of Rockville Centre with dignity and fairness while addressing the concerns we as residents continue to share.

In addition, Marc’s dedication and commitment to serve will enable him to build positive working relationships with the mayor and trustees, fostering an atmosphere where the board can act as a cohesive unit to accomplish what is most beneficial for us, the residents.

Marc Wieman’s considerable experience of nearly 20 years in government service has prepared him for the task of cutting through the inertia that too often afflicts our Board of Trustees. His intelligence and objectivity will enable him to quickly grasp the heart of the issues facing the village and fashion a solution. Marc is a tireless worker, with the confidence to face the needs of Rockville Centre head-on and the devotion to give his attention to our needs.

I am proud to endorse Marc Wieman for village trustee. Please join me in moving Rockville Centre forward by electing him Tuesday.

Joseph Carroll

Rockville Centre

Good Ed for trustee

To the Editor:

One of the most moving readings in the New Testament concerns the parable of the Good Samaritan. Without going into detail, it concerns rescuing the injured and the ill. Hospitals throughout the world bear the name of that hero. In fact, a more popular term is “Good Sam.”

We have a trustee, Ed Oppenheimer, who has repeated that life-saving rescue action more than 15,000 times in his nearly 35 years as an EMT. That is like having responded to more than 60 percent of the residents of our village.

This type of concern and talent, as village trustee, is what Ed offers to us all. He is the only one who has consistently voted against exorbitant tax increases in these financially challenging times. He questions how every dollar is allocated and spent without concern for political consequences from his fellow trustees. I know that all who serve on the board do so with good intentions. However, I sincerely ask your support in electing “Good Ed” as our village trustee on Tuesday.

Mathew Kakis

Rockville Centre

Mathew Kakis is a former Village Trustee/Deputy Mayor

Support Grillo and Glynn

To the Editor:

As a past president of the Rockville Centre Concerned Citizens, I am proud to support the Common Sense candidates, Trustee Kevin Glynn, Emilio Grillo and Justice Kevin McDonough, for election on Tuesday.

Over the past four years, I have seen Trustee Glynn show a willingness to work with his fellow village board members to provide common-sense, reasoned leadership and reform, no matter what their party affiliation. After the years of paralysis of our village administration because of local politicians engaging in political warfare, Trustee Glynn’s reasonable, responsible and common-sense leadership has been a great relief to so many in Rockville Centre!

The Concerned Citizens Party is a once noble organization that produced many of Rockville Centre’s past great leaders, and I was horrified to see how low the campaign of Ed Oppenheimer sank with the hateful and misleading Letter to the Editor, “Support Oppenheimer,” last week.

I ask all of my fellow concerned citizens to reject that sort of negative, vitriolic politicking of the past and join me in supporting the positive and responsible campaign of the Common Sense ticket of Kevin Glynn, Emilio Grillo and Kevin McDonough!

Please vote Row B on Tuesday!

Joseph Cooleen

Rockville Centre

Cooleen is a past president of the Concerned Citizens Party.

Vote for Wieman

To the Editor:

We are writing on behalf of the candidacy of Marc Wieman for the position of RVC village board member.

Marc brings a wealth of public and private experience, an awareness of present market and economic situations, an eagerness for new and strategic solutions and a clear reputation for inclusiveness of opinions and voices.

Marc will shake the board out of its denial — the denial that ever-increasing budgets, ever-increasing taxes, the contraction of services and long-shuttered store fronts are not negatively affecting the viability of the village. Change is needed, and Marc will be a welcome change.

Jay and Regina Loftus

Rockville Centre

Make All Island accountable

To the Editor:

Here’s my problem with All Island Taxi: the cars are filthy, and most of the time I hold my breath when I get in them. Sometimes I feel I should take a dose of antibiotics before entering one of those vehicles. Most of the drivers are reasonably unprofessional, unkempt and some actually smell. The vehicles are in horrible shape mechanically and when you go over a bump the car feels like it’s going to fall apart. The “check engine” light is on in many of them, so that means they are not being serviced properly. The drivers have the radios on and most of the time I have to ask them to shut it off.

When I enter All Island’s facility, if you want to call it that, and tell them where I’m going, they have about as much enthusiasm as a corpse and most of the time I feel as if I’m doing them a favor. The other day I took a cab home from the train station. When I got in the house I had to take something for nausea. When they say they will be there to pick me up, almost all the time it’s completely inaccurate and I’m standing out in front of my house waiting.

I am totally in favor of ending this monopoly in RVC and, quite frankly, it seems very odd to me that the village administration is attempting to block free enterprise. I also think that no one deserves to ride in a filthy, smelly, broken down vehicle which, in my opinion, is unsafe. They need to get new cars and actually stay on top of them. They also need to replace them every three to five years.

If I wanted to ride in old police cars converted to taxis, I would get myself arrested or ask the RVC police for a ride home. Drivers shouldn’t be eating or smoking in the vehicles. No new bad paint jobs and discounted fares, because they are afraid of competition, are going to help their business. If the other taxi service is like All Island, maybe we shouldn’t consider them. So they need to make sure they live up to a certain standard.

It’s time All Island becomes accountable. This is what happens when a business becomes a monopoly: it doesn’t have to fix its problems. They are the only game in town, literally. It’s not just getting somebody from point A to point B, it’s what happens when you’re getting there.